


Ghost Family

by ectofruitloop (melodyguardian)



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, light cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23480311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodyguardian/pseuds/ectofruitloop
Summary: The ghosts realise that Danny, who's in a bad place mentally after the events of TUE, is going to get himself killed, so they help him in the only way they know how...kidnapping.A series of one-shots based around Danny's various adventures in the Ghost Zone. There's no shipping in this one, but there's a lot of family fluff, as well as a lot of my personal headcanons about ghosts and the Ghost Zone.(And so I could include season 3 ghosts, I've shifted the events of TUE to where Phantom Planet is in canon.)
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Penelope Spectra, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters
Comments: 22
Kudos: 164





	1. Nocturn and Spectra

**Author's Note:**

> A new series! :D I plan to add to this whenever I feel like, so please feel free to suggest more ghosts I could write one-shots about for this! I think it's going to be really fun ^_^
> 
> I don't own Danny Phantom, but that goes without saying, really. Please enjoy!

Danny watched the ghost portal intently, unblinking. He hadn’t been able to sleep much since his run in with his future self. Although he’d successfully put a stop to him, the intense guilt he felt whenever he remembered all the pain and suffering his alternate self had caused made it hard for him to relax. So…he didn’t. For the past few weeks, he’d spent his nights stubbornly guarding the ghost portal in an effort not to let his town down again, doubly aware that the lives of Amity Park’s citizens were in his hands.

The ghosts were all too aware that the ghost kid was in over his head. He didn’t make quips when he fought them anymore. His punches were slow, his reaction times were delayed at best. Sometimes, it really seemed like the kid had forgotten he had the ability to turn intangible. Something was clearly wrong and, although the ghosts usually hated him more than anything…they were worried. He was a brat, but he was one of their own. They had to do something before he got his other half killed.

**Nocturne**

That night, as Danny Phantom stood outside the doors to the ghost portal, the ghosts put their plan into action.

A dark shadow poured out of the portal, almost invisible due to the low light of the ghost lab, and crept up behind the sleep-deprived teenager.

Danny gasped as the familiar puff of air whisped out of his mouth. He tensed and looked around.

“Hey! I know somebody’s there! Come out!”

The ghost hid himself in the shadows and expelled an eerie blue mist into the room.

Danny frowned, but slowly began to blink drowsily. What was wrong with him? He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep his eyes on the ghost portal. It had clearly been activated, so where did the ghost go? He had to be alert.

“Gotta stay awake,” he muttered. “I can do this.”

_ “But you’re so tired,”  _ a soothing voice cooed. From where, though, Danny had no clue. It sounded like a really soft echo. Part of him wasn’t even sure he wasn’t imagining it. He looked around anyway, but he couldn’t see anyone there. “ _ All this heroism _ ,” it continued. “ _ You’ve been working so hard. You’re so tired…” _

“…so tired…” He yawned. He  _ was _ so tired…so...wait, where did all this mist come from? He watched as it slowly floated around him. It appeared to be circling him, slow and calm…

He zoned out, looking at it for a minute, and then shook his head. “Ugh, no, I’ve gotta...gotta...”

“ _ Relax _ ...” the ghost supplied.  _ “It’s nice and calm here. You can relax...” _

Danny’s eyelids drooped and slowly, he found his raised fists lowering. There clearly wasn’t any ghost around here. He could relax for a few minutes…

The mist was really starting to get to him now, making every limb feel heavy and sluggish. He began to sway a little.

Nocturne smirked and gently nudged the drowsy teen towards the ghost portal.

_ “Have a nice deep sleep, ghost boy. You’ve earned it...” _

It was getting harder and harder to focus on staying awake now. All he could think about was how warm and cozy he felt.

“…deep…sleep…” he mumbled distantly, allowing himself to be led. “…nice…deep...”

He was fast asleep before he could even feel the final push into the ghost portal.

**Spectra**

“AAAAUGHH!!!” He gasped and sat up in bed, sweat dripping down his face. “That…that…” He put his hands on his pounding heart. “N-no not…not again…please not again…oh god...”

“Not what again, Danny?”

“AAAAUGHH!!” This time he fell off the bed.

“Oof ouch…” He rubbed his head and looked up at the person that had spoken. “What the-SPECTRA?! What are you doing in my room?! How did you even get passed the Fenton--” He paused and looked around. “Wait. This isn’t my room.”

“That’s  _ right _ !” She clapped, her tone dripping with false cheerfulness. “Good  _ job,  _ Danny!”

He scowled at her and stood up. “I’m GOING GHO-“ He paused and looked down at himself. “I’m… _ already _ ghost? That’s weird. I’ve never kept my ghost form up while I was unconscious before.”

“That’s because you’re in the Ghost Zone, sweetie.” She filed her nails. “You probably don’t need to exert any energy to keep the form up here. Or possibly it’s a subconscious thing, since, you know, all the ectoplasm that makes up this place would kill a human instantly.”

He frowned. “Wait, wait, wait, I’m in the GHOST ZONE?! But this place looks so…” He made a few hand gestures, trying to find the words. Finally, he landed on; “…normal.”

“Why  _ thank you _ .” She smiled. “I’d like to think I have good taste. I modelled it after human architecture.”

Danny looked up at the large gold chandelier. “Somehow, this is both  _ nothing _ like I thought your house would look like and also  _ everything _ like I thought your house would look like.”

She smirked. “Okay, let’s get down to business, Danny.” She pointed at him. “ _ You _ have a problem, and we’re going to help fix it.”

He looked at her warily and quickly got into a fighting stance.

“Please. Relax.” She made a ‘sit down’ motion with her hands. “My offer is genuine. You haven’t been yourself lately. It’s all anyone’s talking about.”

“They…have?” He reluctantly sat down on the bed. “I don’t think I’ve been that unusual.”

“You don’t need to lie to me, Danny. Nocturn says you haven’t been sleeping because you’ve been getting those nasty nightmares.”

He winced. “Okay, that’s  _ private _ . He needs to quit doing that.” He crossed his arms. “It’s none of his business. Or yours. I haven’t even talked to my  _ friends _ about them, so what makes you think I’m gonna tell  _ you _ ?”

“And why  _ haven’t _ you talked to them, Danny?” she asked, looking concerned. “Don’t you trust them?”

“It’s not that, I just…I don’t wanna worry them. What I experienced…it was the worst experience of my life. But if they knew it haunted me as much as it did, they’d worry and ask questions and then I’d have to talk about it and relive the look on their pale, d-dead faces…” A whimper escaped his throat and he covered his face with his hands. “D-don’t make me talk about him…p-please…”

The psychologist frowned. This was worse than she’d thought. She snapped her fingers and a bright green bat landed on her arm.

“Bertrand! Bring us some tea, if you please! I have a feeling we’ll be here a while!”

The bat squeaked in confirmation and flew out of the room.

She clapped her hands again. “Alright! I know it’s painful, but let’s talk about this! It’ll help you to process what happened.”

He exhaled deeply and looked up at her again. “I’m not an idiot. I know you’re just using me to fish for young…juice…or whatever. Honestly, I’m not  _ super _ clear on how misery translates to beauty, but whatever. I’m not talking to you about my nightmares. I’m going home.”

He stood up again.

“Oh, home?” She didn’t move. She had prepared for this. “You mean that place where your own parents create weapons made  _ specifically _ to destroy you? The place where you can’t even eat breakfast without hearing about the best way to dissect a ghost? Don’t kid yourself, sweetie. We  _ all  _ know what your ‘home’ is like.”

“H-HEY! It’s not THAT bad!” He glared, his toxic green eyes burning brighter.

“You’re miserable there,” she continued. “You’re in the lion’s den, so to speak. One wrong move could have you killed completely. With the way you’re feeling right now, do you really think it’s  _ healthy _ to go back there?”

His glare faltered. “They’d…they wouldn’t actually kill me. They love me. I know they’d accept me if I told them what I am.”

“You really think so?” She raised an eyebrow, and then shook her head. “They’re textbook egomaniacs, kid. They’re obsessed with proving they’re smarter and more powerful than the ghosts in the Ghost Zone. They’ll likely stop at nothing until they prove it.” She scoffed. “They’ll take one look at you and assume you’ve been replaced by a ghost! What a  _ miserable _ life you must lead.”

“HEY!” he snapped.

“Sorry. Old habits die hard.” She laughed and flapped a hand dismissively. “Listen, Danny. I’m a licensed psychologist. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you, but it’s my  _ professional _ opinion that you take a break from the human realm for a bit, for your own mental health. Think of it like a ghost vacation. You don’t even have to stay here if you don’t want to. We’re  _ all _ concerned about you. I’m sure Ember has a spare room you can borrow.”

He blinked. “Uh…say that again? The ghosts are  _ concerned _ ? How dumb do you think I  _ am _ ?”

She folded her hands in her lap. “Alright, answer me this- have I attacked you since you got here? Shown any aggression  _ at all _ ?”

“Well no, but…” He frowned. “…And you  _ did _ just send your buddy to go get us tea...”

“ _ Exactly _ .” She placed her palms together. “We didn’t bring you here to hurt you. You’re a nuisance, but like it or not, you’re one of us.” She sighed and rolled her eyes, like the very thought disgusted her. “You never  _ actively _ tried to obliterate us like the rest of humankind’s ghosthunters, although you’re plenty powerful enough to do so-“

Danny gasped shallowly, a spike of fear shooting up his spine. “I-I’m NOT! I could never-I  _ wouldn’t _ !”

“Oh, ho? Struck a nerve, did I?” She floated over. “See? You’re not in the right  _ mindset _ to go back to that dangerous place…” She snaked her shadowy ghost tail around him. He wanted to shove her away, tell her to respect his personal space, but oddly, her voice was really calming him down. “You’ll  _ never _ be strong enough to keep everyone safe if you’re stressing yourself out, trying not to get hurt by all those  _ awful _ ghost weapons…”

Slowly, Danny found himself sitting back down. “Maybe I do need a break,” he finally admitted, looking down at the fluffy rug beneath his feet. “Being at home has been really hard. I feel like…every time I see my friends’ faces, all I can think about is…is…” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

She perked up. This was finally getting interesting. “Yes?”

He looked up at her, confusion crossing his features. “Do you  _ actually _ wanna know? Like,  _ for real _ ?”

“If that’s your weird way of asking if this is part of a scheme, then my answer is ‘no’,” she replied, somewhat amused.

It was then that Bertrand, in his original ghost form, returned. Spectra took her teacup, and then the shapeshifter offered one to Danny.

Danny looked at it warily but took it anyway. “No offense, dude, but I don’t trust you not to poison me.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re  _ already _ in the Ghost Zone, kid. Killing you here wouldn’t achieve anything.”

“He’s right,” Spectra added helpfully, taking a sip.

Betrand scoffed. “You really  _ don’t _ know anything about being a ghost, huh?”

“I knew enough to beat  _ your _ jolly green ass!” Phantom snapped, blushing green.

“Yes, well, don’t get used to it, kid,” the shapeshifter sneered before heading back outside. Danny pulled a face at him as he watched him leave.

“If you guys weren’t being nice to me, I’d totally enjoy punching him.”

Spectra chuckled a little. This was a side of the ghost boy she’d never really seen before. He was pretty entertaining when he wasn’t playing superhero.

“He does have a point, though.” She unlooped her ghost tail from around him now that she was sure he wasn’t going to leave or attack her. “Think of all the things you could learn about yourself while you’re here? I’d say staying is worth considering.”

Danny frowned. “Maybe. But not for long. I’ve gotta protect Amity Park from the gho…” He paused. “Well, from all the people here.”

“Oh, that’s already been taken care of.” She took another sip of her tea. “Skulker is on ghost catching duty.”

“He…is?” His expression softened. “Wow. That’s…really cool of him.” He looked down into the teacup, and, with a resolute expression, finally drank from it. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it really was just normal tea. “If…if I tell you what’s bugging me…you gotta  _ promise _ not to tell anyone, okay?” He looked at her seriously. “Not even just to get back at me. It’s not normal teen stuff. I haven’t told  _ anyone _ about this.”

“Promises mean nothing here, kid.” She shrugged, smirking. “Here in the Ghost Zone, you don’t get anything for nothing. You’ve gotta bribe me if you want me to keep quiet.”

He frowned. “ _ Bribe _ you? I don’t even know what you could  _ want _ .” He looked around the room, as if it would give him any ideas. Finally, his eyes landed on the gaudy chandelier again. “When I get back to my world, I could buy you something nice? Like…I don’t know, fancy earrings or something?”

Her shadowy face lit up. “Make them bejewelled and you have yourself a deal!”

Danny grinned. “Bejewelled. Got it. I don’t really know what that means, but Sam probably does. I’ll ask her.” He took another sip of the tea and closed his eyes, his smile falling. “Okay. So…here’s what happened. I went forwards in time and found out there’s an alternate timeline where all my friends and family……..die.” The hand holding the cup began trembling. “It was a horrible explosion and it apparently messed me up  _ so _ bad that I made Vlad...he…” He flinched. “Look, it doesn’t matter. Point is, I tried to save everyone, I tried really,  _ really _ hard. But I failed. I wasn’t  _ good enough _ and it was pure  _ dumb luck _ that the only person that could fix everything took pity on me and  _ did _ . What if it happens again? What if  _ He _ comes back? Or-or what if I try to save everyone and  _ fail _ again? What if everyone dies  _ again _ because I  _ still _ wasn’t good enough? I’ve been trying my hardest, but what if that still isn’t enough? What if my world DIES because of M-ME?!” He sighed shakily and squeezed his eyes shut. “ _ I _ have to save the world. I have to destroy all the ghost inventions so they don’t hurt me or the other ghosts. Why is it always  _ me _ that has to fix everything? Why can’t someone  _ else _ fix everything for once? It’s not FAIR! No matter what I do, it feels like the  _ world _ is gonna end!”

Spectra was silent for a long moment, until finally, she let out a long whistle.

“That is  _ some _ emotional baggage you’ve got there!”

“…thanks.” He glared and cleared his throat.

“That’s a lot of pressure for one person. No  _ wonder _ you’ve been broken into  _ teeny tiny pieces! Wow.  _ You’re in  _ way _ over your head.”

He stared at her flatly. “…please stop smiling when you say things like that.”

She chuckled. “Danny, how set are you on saving this backwater town?”

“VERY!” He glared. “If you’re about to tell me to quit being a hero, you can FORGET it! That town is my HOME! I’m not going to just  _ watch _ while a ghost takes it over! I was so off my game the first time I met you, my sister nearly  _ died _ ! I bet you’d just  _ love  _ it if I stopped trying to-“

He trailed off and looked up at her as she placed a shadowy hand on his head.

“Simmer down, ghost kid,” she replied calmly. “I was trying to prove a point. You’ve got a classic case of superhero complex. You believe the safety of everyone around you lies entirely on your shoulders, and that, coupled with your recent trauma, is wearing you a bit thin. You’re crumbling under the pressure.”

He frowned. “But…I can’t just  _ not _ save everyone. There’s no way that’s the only way. If I don’t help my world, no-one can.” He downed the rest of the tea.

She nodded confidently. “Maybe you don’t need to stop. Maybe you just need some help. Now, I’m not about to give you any ideas for defeating  _ me _ , but I  _ will _ suggest you speak to Vlad.”

He nearly choked on the tea.

“ _ Vlad _ ? But he  _ hates _ me!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh is  _ that _ what you think? Don’t be fooled, Danny. He talks a big game, but he doesn’t have it as together as he pretends. You could say that his biggest weakness perfectly aligns with yours.”

Danny gave her a puzzled look.

She shrugged. “Anyway, that’s all we have time for today. Ember wanted to see you next.”

“Ember?! Wait- does the Ghost Zone even  _ have _ a way to tell time?”

“No, but I’m bored now.” She made shooing motions with her hands. “You know where to find me if you need me. I’m gonna go get my nails done. Now shoo.”

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he’d been teleported outside of what he assumed had been her house. He pouted.  _ Rude _ . Still, she’d been oddly helpful. She was surprisingly easy to talk to when she wasn’t doing evil things, and she’d made him feel a little better about his situation. He still didn’t have a solution, but talking about it had definitely helped. He decided he’d stop by later if he was able to. First, though, he needed to find Ember. He hoped her lair would be close by.


	2. Ember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ember time, which means it's time for a SONGFIC chapter! There's more headcanons in this one because I really like the idea of Danny learning more and more about what it means to be a ghost and who HE is as a ghost the longer he's in the Ghost Zone.

** Ember **

He floated around a little bit, just curious, really. It was kind of nice being able to explore the Ghost Zone without worrying too much about getting wasted. He’d always been fascinated by this place. The environment buzzed with ectoplasmic energy, and it was unclear where each purple door or portal would lead. He felt like an astronaut discovering space for the first time. Did the ghosts have their own society? Places they hung out regularly? What was ghost society even like? He knew they’d had a monarchy at some point because of his run-in with Pariah Dark, but what was _that_ like? Maybe he’d ask Ember about that, if he ever found her. There weren’t any signs or anything here. How did the other ghosts even know where they were going?

He shuddered, cold air shooting out of his mouth.

“Who’s there?” He raised his fists, just in case they wanted trouble. His ghost sense was heightened in the Ghost Zone, but although he knew he’d sensed this ghost before, he couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly who they were.

“You’re _real_ bad at this, dipstick,” a voice scoffed. “You have no idea where you’re goin’, do you?”

He gasped and spun around. “Ember!” He tensed instinctively, his eyes glowing brighter.

“Oh, chill out, babypop. I’m not gonna fight you.” She flipped her flaming ponytail, which had grown larger upon Danny saying her name.

He reluctantly lowered his fists, but continued to glare at her.

“Then why did you bring the mind control guitar?” he demanded.

She scoffed. “It’s _not_ a mind control guitar. It’s an _emotion_ control guitar.” She strummed the strings softly, the calm twinkling sound filling the air. “Music can make you feel a lotta things. My guitar just amplifies that. I brought it ‘cause I bring it _everywhere_ with me. Spectra told ya we’re tryna _help_ your sorry ass, right?”

Danny felt his body untense as her playing subtly calmed him down. She really was a musically gifted guitarist.

“If it’s not a mind control guitar, then how did you brainwash all those people?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

She tilted her head. Why was he so focussed on her guitar? Surely he had other things to worry about? A smirk slowly grew across her face. “You’re still mad about the love spell, aren’t you?”

His cheeks flushed bright green. “N-no! I mean…l-LOOK! That doesn’t matter! You use music to brainwash and _manipulate_ people!”

“Yeah, well, Spectra makes people depressed for fun, but don’t tell me she _didn’t_ give ya a free therapy session.”

Danny averted his eyes.

Ember crossed her arms. “Get _over_ yourself, kid. Like it or not, we’re your family, and if you choose to stay _that_ high and mighty, your stay here in the GZ is gonna be kinda unbearable for you.” She glared at him. “My music’s just _good_ , okay? I put a lotta effort into it. It’s not _my_ fault you’ve got bad taste.” She flew towards a purple door and stepped inside.

Danny followed, since he was lost anyway. She wasn’t playing the guitar anymore, or even looking at him. He felt kind of bad now. He hadn’t _intended_ to insult her music, and she had a point about the ghosts trying to help him. She’d even used the word ‘family’. How weird was that? He wondered what Sam and Tucker would think about all this.

He followed her into a tunnel filled with deep purple ectoplasmic energy. She still wasn’t talking to him. He knew he shouldn’t care. She’d tried to take over the world. She’d really hurt him emotionally. She’d tried to kill him. But…she had a point. Spectra had done all that too, and she’d ended up being pretty great to him. Maybe he _was_ being too hard on the ghosts. They’d still done bad things, but maybe…maybe morality just worked differently here. Or not. But either way, it wasn’t a good idea to make her mad. He’d still be lost if she hadn’t shown up. He watched her flaming ponytail flap behind her.

That gave him an idea. He began to hum.

She turned her head slightly. “What are you-“

“Ember, you will remember…” he sang softly. “Ember…one thing remains. Oh oh Ember…so warm and ten-deeeer. You will remember my name…”

They harmonised for the last line. _“You will remember my naaaame!”_

She closed her eyes as her flaming ponytail grew bigger and brighter. “Ahhh _that’s_ the stuff! It’s been a while since I had that much power.”

Danny rubbed his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry if I’m being a bit of a jerk. A lot’s happened lately and everyone that’s tried to kill me is trying to _help_ me all of a sudden. It’s a lot to process.” He frowned and looked down. “How screwed do you have to be for your own _enemies_ to take pity on you?”

The ghost girl smirked. “It’s not _pity_ , babypop. Your ghost half formed in the same area of the GZ as the rest of us, and…” She rolled her eyes. “…it’s really _annoying_ , but we really dig that ya don’t waste us like the humans would and honour the Christmas Truce. You’re the annoying kid brother that gets on our nerves. We don’t want you _dead_ , but, like, we’re not against punching you either.”

Danny smiled a little. Spectra had said something similar. He had no idea the other ghosts respected him so much for not obliterating them. Though up until this point, it hadn’t really occurred to him that they would _care_.

“Well, you’re welcome. I don’t like to hurt people.” He paused. “Well. I like to hurt _ghosts_ , but that’s because you guys are usually doing something awful I gotta stop. I’d never wanna _waste_ anyone.” His expression stiffened and he glared at the lack of the floor beneath them. “I’m not like _him_. I don’t take any _joy_ in death and destruction. I’ll _never_ use my powers for something like that.”

Ember tilted her head. “Who’re ya talkin’ about? Plasmius?”

“Huh?” He blinked and looked up again. “Uh, no. No. Just…someone from my past. I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. Why’d you think I was talking about Vlad?”

“Oh, ‘cause you’re both halfas. He talks to Skulker ‘bout you a lot.”

“He…he _does_?” His eyes widened, and then narrowed again. “Wait, why do _you_ know that?”

“Skulker was my boyfriend for a bit.” She rolled her eyes. “Long story. I dumped his ass.”

“Wow.” He laughed a little. “This is the _last_ place I expected to find relationship drama.”

She smirked. "Anyway, spill it. You've been fightin' bad, you _clearly_ never sleep and ya haven't made a bad pun this _entire_ conversation. What's up?"

He sighed, crossing his arms. "I really don't wanna talk about it with you. No offense."

"Then don't!" She strummed loudly on her guitar. "Sing! Expressing how you feel is what music’s _really_ for. Let it out, baby pop. Sing whatever’s on your mind.”

“Um…okay?” He frowned, thinking for a moment. He supposed it wouldn't hurt. He’d been trying all he could to _forget_ the events of Dan Phantom’s defeat, but…maybe Ember was right. Maybe music _would_ help. He took a deep breath and tried to sing to the music the ghost girl had started playing.

He thought about Vlad, and what he’d been driven to do for him in that alternate timeline, and he found the words coming out naturally.

“You and I walk a fragile line,” he began softly. “I have known it all this time, but I never thought I’d live to see it break.” He looked down somberly at his hands. “It’s getting dark and it’s a-all too quiet and I can’t trust anything now. And it’s coming over you like it’s all a big mistake…” He clenched his fist, the haunting images of his dead friends and family filling his head, every detail of their charred faces more graphic than the last. “O-oh! Holding my breath! Wo-o-on’t lose you _again_! Something’s made your…eyes go…c-cold…” His voice cracked, his eyes glazing with unshed tears. All the feelings were coming back, full force. His grief, hopelessness, despair, complete loneliness and inability to help the people he loved when it was really mattered… 

“Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this! I thought I had you figured out! Something’s gone terribly wrong! You’re ALL I wanted!” He clasped his shaking hands together. “Come on, come on! Don’t LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! I thought I had you figured out! Can’t breathe whenever you’re gone! Can’t turn back, I’m…I’m haunted…”

Ember grinned. Okay, so the kid was clearly going through something, but _damn_ could he sing. She slowed her playing a little. It had built up while he was singing the chorus.

He turned to her, blushing with apparent embarrassment, but she smiled at him encouragingly. He clearly had a lot of feelings to express. He owed it to himself to finish the song. And honestly? The song was pretty dope. She’d expected a lot of angry yelling and heavy metal, not…an emotional song about grief and despair. What the heck had _happened_ to him?

Danny nodded, and after a pause, began the next part. The words were coming so easily to him, and they all rhymed. He was _terrible_ at poetry. What was going on? Still, singing out his feelings was making him feel better, so he couldn’t complain.

“Stood there and watched you walk away…from everything we had,” he sang, thinking about the conversation he’d had with his evil future self. “But I still mean every word I said…to you.” He was _not_ inevitable. He would _never_ become that. He thought about Vlad again, and how he’d had to take him in after the accident. It probably hadn’t been easy for him, either. He’d probably done the best he could. “He will try to take away my pain, and he just might make me smile…” The pain…there was so much pain. Oh god there was so much fire, so much screaming…why did it have to be _them_? Why did _Dan_ get to live while they _didn’t_? “But the whole time I'm wishing _he_ was you instead,” he spat bitterly. “Oh, oh, holding my breath…w-won't…see you again...” He swallowed hard. “Something keeps me holding…on to n-nothing…” He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands curled into tight fists. “Come on! Come ON! Don't _leave_ me like this! I thought I had you figured out! Something's gone terribly wrong- you're _all_ I wanted!”

Ember stared. His ghostly glow was turning _green_. Was he doing that on purpose?

"Come on, come on! Don't LEAVE ME like THIS! I thought I had you figured out! Can't breathe whenever you're gone- I can’t turn back…I’m haunted…” His breath hitched and his voice grew softer. Dan was stuck in a thermos. How long would he stay that way? Was he actually safe? Was _anyone_ actually safe? How long would it be before he could finally sleep again? “I know, I know, I just know…you're not gone. No. You can't be gone. NO!” He extended his arms, suddenly feeling a kind of power buzzing within him. But he was too distraught by now to care.

Ho. Ly. SHIT. All Ember could do was play as she watched the kid, the weak goody-two-shoes Phantom kid…let out a giant wave of sound from his mouth that _obliterated_ the boulder they’d just floated past. The soundwaves circled around the teenager, similarly to his transformation rings. Danny was still singing, completely unaware of the chaos erupting around him.

“COME ON, COME ON, DON’T **LEAVE ME LIKE THIS**! I THOUGHT I HAD YOU FIGURED OUT! SOMETHING’S GONE TERRIBLY WRONG- WON’T **FINISH** WHAT YOU **STARTED**!” He wouldn’t let Dan win again. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t give him the chance. He was powerful, but Danny had a lot more to fight for, and he would. Even if it killed him in the process. He’d keep everyone safe. No-one had to die again. “COME ON! COME ON! DON’T **LEAVE** ME LIKE THIS! I THOUGHT I HAD YOU FIGURED OUT! CAN’T BREATHE WHENEVER YOU’RE GONE! CAN’T TURN BACK-“ He sighed, his anger dissipating. His shoulders slumped. “I’m _haunted_.” He ran his hand through his hair and finally looked at Ember again. “You and I walk a fragile line…I have known it all this time. Never thought I’d see it break. Never thought I’d see it.” He exhaled and looked up at the ectoplasm above them. “You know what? You’re right. That _did_ make me feel better. I…” He looked at her again and tilted her head. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her hair crackled excitedly. “I didn’t know you were a _music ghost_! Why didn’t ya _say_ something?!”

He blinked. “A…a what?”

“A _music_ ghost! You know! _Music_ abilities! We’re _definitely_ gettin’ you a mic because _holy shit_ you could cause a lotta damage.”

“What?!” His eyes widened in panic and he floated back. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

She gestured to the wreckage of smashed up rocks around them.

“You _seriously_ tellin’ me this was an _accident_?!”

“WHAT?” He looked around. “My…my ghostly wail did all… _this_?” Fear spiked up in his chest. “Oh crud, are you okay? Did I hurt you? I-I thought my ghostly wail only worked when I _screamed_! I didn’t know I could—” He bit his lip and looked around.

“Hey, it’s chill! We’ll get’cha a mic to focus your powers. It’ll make that badass voice of yours easier to control.” She grinned. “C’mon. I’ve gotta buddy that’ll hook ya up.” She took his arm and started dragging him along. It was much easier to do this than it normally would be, as they were currently flying. Dragging him along was as easy as pulling along a helium balloon. “Ya ever been to a night club?”

“You’re taking me t-to…” He gasped. “A _ghost_ night club?!”

“Yup. Stay close or you’ll get lost in the middle of the rave.”

“A RAVE?!”

She laughed at him. “Oh, Phantom, you haven’t _died_ until you’ve been part of a Ghost Zone rave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! The song I used was 'Haunted' by Taylor Swift. It's an old favourite of mine. I probably won't be doing any more songfic chapters in this unless I do another Ember chapter, but this was fun! I hope you enjoyed it! Comments are greatly appreciated, as are requests for specific ghosts!


	3. The Ghost Rave (Ember part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lied- here's another songfic chapter. They're both music ghosts, did you expect me to NOT have them duet? I love these two so much. Featured in this chapter: Danny finding out more about what it means to be a ghost teen, a ghost OC that absolutely can't be trusted and the line between enemies and family becoming even more blurred.

**The Ghost Rave** ****

Danny didn’t know  _ what  _ to expect when Ember led him through that mysterious green door. He hadn’t seen a lot of green ones.

“Ember…” He blinked in the pitch darkness. “You didn’t bring me here to mug me, did you? ‘cause I don’t have any money…”

“No. Shut up.” She laughed. “Shut your eyes, or you’ll miss it!”

“Miss what…?” He shut his eyes. Immediately, the room lit up with colour. Bright swirls of blue, green, purple, red, all swam above and around him, completely in sync with the music he could now hear blasting through his eardrums. He turned around in a circle to watch the colours move around him, nodding his head in time to the catchy beat. The song sounded like some kind of jazz/rock/classical hybrid and…honestly, he loved it. He’d never heard anything like it.

His ghost sense suddenly alerted him to the presence of other ghosts. A  _ lot  _ of other ghosts. He tensed instinctively and opened his eyes.

The colours and the music disappeared instantly. He was back to floating in that pitch-dark room.

He looked over at Ember. She had her eyes closed and she was swaying to an imaginary beat. Danny had never seen her look so peaceful. He shut his eyes again and everything once again returned.

“I’ve heard about a ‘silent disco’, but this is ridiculous…” he muttered amusedly.

“Yo! Babypop!” Ember grabbed his hand and twirled him. “Welcome to Club Spirit! What’cha think?”

He laughed, dancing along with her. “It’s SO cool! But I don’t understand! Why does it disappear?”

“Ghost raves are  _ psychic!  _ Duh!” She grinned. “A lot of music artists hang here, so these things are designed so the music gets beamed straight into your head! No hearing damage! It’s rad. And as a plus, you’ll have these awesome tunes in your head for  _ weeks!”  _ She took his hand. “C’mon! Lemme introduce you to my buddy! He’s the one workin’ the tunes!” She took his hand again and began dragging him through the room.

It was then that he realised what had been setting off his ghost sense. As he got closer to them, the partygoers became visible. He couldn’t help ‘looking’ around at all of them as Ember dragged him along. There were so  _ many _ , all in different shapes, sizes and colours, every one of them looking like they were having a really good time. Some were taking shots, some were smoking, others were playing along to the music on their own instruments…the energy was so fun and happy. He even thought he spotted Box Ghost in the crowd somewhere, but he couldn’t be sure. A big smile grew on his face. He was really starting to like this place. He hoped he’d be able to come back here with Ember after the ‘pity truce’, as he called it, was over.

“Pitch! My guy!”

Ember shared an elaborate high-five with a deep blue male ghost in orange headphones. He was sat at a turntable, but he hadn’t been touching the discs. Instead, his hands had been glowing black, apparently using them to turn the discs telekinetically before Ember had approached. Maybe touching them would scratch them or something?

“Em! Long time no see, doll!” He grinned, showing a full set of gold teeth. “I wish you’d come yesterday. Some asshole sucked the power from the light show. They’re weak as hell today. I can’t charge up the transmitter.”

She frowned. “Aww, what a buzzkill. I bet it was Technus again. Want me to take a crack at it?”

“ _ Please _ . Maybe your hot beats’ll fire the baby up.”

He floated over to a large, hovering, mechanical ball-shaped device, Ember floating after him. Danny followed, both because he really had no choice, but also because he was curious what this thing was.

“Alright, let’s go!” She pulled out her guitar, turned a dial and strummed a loud chord. The violet soundwaves bounced off of the ball, but all it really achieved was making it float a little higher. She huffed. “Damn. He really did a number on this thing.”

“Yeah.” He frowned. “Man, this sucks.”

“Um…” He floated from behind Ember. “Maybe  _ I _ could…try?” He waved weakly. “Hi. I’m Danny.”

Pitch tilted his head, apparently noticing him for the first time.

“Yo, who’s the squirt?”

“This here’s Danny Phantom.” The female ghost introduced, pointing a thumb in his direction. “Don’t worry, he’s cool. He’s a music ghost.”

He whistled and leaned down to look at him. “Hey, nice! What’s your instrument of choice?”

“My, uh, voice, I guess? I can destroy stuff with it.” He smiled weakly. “I had a bit of an, um…extreme jam session earlier.”

He chuckled. “What a mood. What. A. Mood. It’s cool to meet you! I’m Pitch, Pitch Cobalt. You digging the music so far?”

“Yeah!” He grinned. “It’s super good! I mean this is my first ghost rave, so I don’t know how it compares to other ghost music, but I really love it! Did you make it?”

“That I did, little man!” He smiled brightly and pulled a disc, seemingly from out of nowhere. “Here. On the house.”

He stared at it, wide eyed. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, you need a memento of your first ghost rave, man!”

Ember suddenly plucked the disc out of his hand before Danny could take it.

“Yeah, no, this thing’s literally cursed,” she said flatly, snapping it in half. Black smoke immediately poured out of it. “What are ya tryna do to the kid, Cobalt?”

“Ugh, you’re no fun.” He rolled his eyes.

That’s right. Spectra had warned him that nobody in the Ghost Zone did anything for nothing. If you wanted something, you had to be prepared to bribe. He smirked.

“Hey, tell ya what- if I fix the light thing, will you hook me up with the  _ actual  _ CD?”

Ember raised an eyebrow and then grinned. Smart kid.

“Right! And a spectral mic!” She added, putting a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “He needs one so he doesn’t accidentally destroy shit every time he gets into a song.”

Pitch clapped his hands together eagerly. “Oh, you’re  _ on!  _ Here, lemme get you a good mic. You’re gonna need it if you want any hope of powering up the transmitter without destroying it.” He floated back over to his turntables and came back with a green and white striped wireless microphone. “Don’t break it,” the ghost warned. “It’s a rental until you earn it.”

“Right!” Danny grinned, tapping the top, which was solid black. “Testing…testing…” It glowed a soft green as it amplified the sound of his voice. “Woah…” He looked up at Ember. “I feel weirdly powerful. Is that normal?”

“Yup.” She smirked. “Spectral instruments balance your natural musical power between your core and your voice. It makes it easier to control.”

He blinked. “Um…English, please? Or…whatever ghosts speak.”

“It makes your voice just as strong as your other powers,” she explained with an eyeroll. “Balances ‘em. Your voice is obviously way more powerful than the rest of your powers, and that’s what makes it go so apeshit and out of control.”

“Oh! Right! Awesome!” He grinned again and held the microphone to his chest.

“So are you going to fix it or what, little man?” The DJ tapped his foot impatiently, which looked a little weird, considering he was floating.

“Yes.” He nodded seriously. “Do I have to aim anywhere specific or will just the general area of the big ball thing do?”

“General area.”

“Gotcha.” He turned to Ember again, grinning. “Wanna have another, hopefully less  _ depressing, _ jam session?”

Her face lit up. “ _ Now _ you’re talkin’ my language, kid! Let’s ROCK this place!”

“YEAH!”

They both punched fists in the air before turning to their respective instruments.

“What’cha thinkin’? Rock? A chill jam? A bit of both?”

Danny bounced a little. He didn’t know why, but he felt  _ excited.  _ He’d never sung for anything other than the odd karaoke party or during a concert. He didn’t even realise he enjoyed it this much. But seeing Ember tuning her guitar in preparation, he couldn’t ignore how his core buzzed with excitement.

“Surprise me!”

“Got’cha.” She winked and, turning towards the mechanical orb, began to play a song, no doubt something she’d come up with on the spot.

Similarly, Danny found that ideas for lyrics were coming to his mind easily as he listened to her play. The microphone glowed in anticipation.

Clearly thrilled about this development, Pitch tapped the microphone connected to his headphones and turned to the crowd. “YO! PARTY PEOPLE! LEMME HEAR SOME NOOOOOOISE!!!”

The crowd cheered and roared. A few clapped.

“YOU’VE IN FOR A REAL TREAT!” He continued. “FAN FAVOURITE EMBER MCLAIN IS ABOUT TO THROW SOME SICK BEATS WITH NEWCOMER, DANNY PHANTOM! WE’RE ABOUT TO ROCK  _ HARD!” _

More cheers erupted.

Danny gulped. “Okay, now I kinda regret this.”

“It’ll be fine,” Ember reassured. “Just focus on the music and sing from your heart. It’s gonna sound good, it’s in your ectoplasm. Let’s just have a rockin’ time, ‘kay?”

“Okay.” He smiled widely and keeping his focus on Ember instead of the crowd, hoping watching her play would help him focus on the lyrics.

She started playing again, much louder this time. Curiously, despite the fact she was using a rock guitar, the music coming out of it was acoustic. Danny assumed she had a dial for that too. It was a chill, but upbeat rhythm, and Danny found himself coming up with lyrics for it quite easily.

_ “I know a girl,” _ he began, smirking at Ember.  _ “Who likes to drink her coffee black, ‘cause sugar, no, she don't got time for that. Leaves her desires at the welcome mat when she walks in…” _

Never one to be out-staged, Ember grinned and began singing her own verse, her voice every bit as powerful and beautiful as it always was.

_ “Yeah, I know a boy…who likes to keep his burner on. He's always running with no one to keep warm. It's like he's flirting with the smoke alarm. His fire's fading…” _

Danny smiled a little wider as he found that they were beginning to sing in sync.

_ “But still we laugh, we cry, we fall, we get high! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids! _

_ And when I, I'm feeling small you get me through it all- just like we were kids, just like we were kids again…” _

The orb began to float a little higher in response to their music, but the two were having too much fun to notice. Ember picked up speed on her guitar.

_ “I know a girl,” _ Danny continued, swaying to the music _. “Who's never tried to settle down. She wears her loneliness like a crown…but when she smiles all the kings will bow down, down, down!” _

She smirked back at him.  _ “And I know a boy…who's broken every vow he's made. Who's spoken every coward’s phrase…but he can listen like a rainy day and drown, it, out!” _

They harmonised again. The music was loud and sincere enough now that the transmitter was starting to glow brighter.

_ “But still we laugh, we cry, we fall, we get high! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids! And when I, I'm feeling small you get me through it all! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again!” _ Danny started nodding his head to the beat, the audience forgotten for the moment.  _ “Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again! Just like we were kids _

_ Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again!” _

Ember’s playing got softer, as did her voice, as the song began winding down from how loud it had been.

_ “So we laugh, we cry, we fall, we get high…just like we were kids, just like we were kids…” _

__

_ “And when I, I'm feeling small you get me through it all,” _ Danny sang, picking up from where Ember had stopped.  _ “Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again…” _

__

The song picked up steam once more, the guitar and their voices getting louder, their instruments both beaming visible soundwaves at the device they were trying to power up. The device floated up even higher and the coloured swirls around them began to expand and glow brighter.

__

_ “But still we laugh, we cry, we fall, we get high! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids! And when I, I'm feeling small you get me through it all! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again!” _

Ember turned a dial on her guitar and began an electric guitar solo. Danny nearly laughed at how extra she was. She was clearly really enjoying this. And honestly…he was too. As far as he was concerned, for this next few minutes, he wasn’t traumatized from something horrible, he wasn’t in the company of someone that had tried to take over the world and hurt him. He was just jamming with a friend. And it was  _ fun. _

__

_ “Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again! Just like we were kids, just like we were kids, just like we were kids again!” _

The guitar began to slow back to acoustic as the song began winding down. Their singing got slower, leaving more room to hear the guitar as the song began coming to a natural end.

__

_ “Just like we were kids, just like we were kids again. Just like we were kids, just like we were kids, just like we were kids again…” _

As the song trailed off, the cheers started up again, even louder than before. The orb had reached high above the crowd now, flashing all the colours of the rainbow. The swirls around them had certainly grown in size as well, illuminating the room like an aurora borealis. Danny stared, completely awed.

“… _ we  _ did that…” he muttered softly.

“Yes we did.” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He didn’t even flinch. “I’m proud of ya, Danny. That was  _ awesome.” _

His cheeks flushed. “No way, It wouldn’t have been  _ nearly  _ as awesome without your-wait, did you just call me  _ Danny?  _ Like, my  _ actual  _ name? _ ”  _ Had she  _ ever _ done that?

“Don’t let it get to your head.” She smirked. “Anyway, you were praising me. Please continue.”

He laughed. Ember was kind of great? And super fun? She was like a cool big sister. Maybe she’d take him more places if he bribed her with more jam sessions.

“You guys…WOW.” Pitch grinned. “You fixed it,  _ and  _ put up one hell of a show. Mad props, my guys.” He held a CD out towards Danny.

Danny frowned at it suspiciously. “How do I know this one isn’t cursed?”

“It’s not. I swear. You’ve  _ more  _ than earned this. The mic, too.”

The younger ghost turned to Ember, who gave him a nod. Trusting her judgement, he carefully took the CD.

“Thanks, dude. I appreciate it.”

Ember let go of Danny and straightened up. “Right, anyway, it’s been a blast, but we should get going. The kid’s got a busy day.”

“Wait, I do?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, you think I’m the  _ only  _ ghost that wanted to see ya? Nah. Let’s go.”

She floated a little further away and opened her eyes, so Danny reluctantly did the same. He pouted as, once again, everything around him disappeared into the pitch blackness.

“Can we come back soon?” he asked, moving to float beside her.

“Sure.” She chuckled. “I have a feelin’ Cobalt is gonna bug me to bring you back for another performance anyway. We kinda  _ rock,  _ dude.” She held out her fist. Danny fist-bumped it, grinning.

“So who’s next? Please, for the love of god, let it  _ not  _ be someone like Box Ghost or Technus. They’re  _ super _ annoying, and quite honestly, I don’t have the energy.”

She tilted her head, noticing his drooped shoulders for the first time. “Oh, that’s right. Humans get tired kinda easily.” She shrugged. “Well, if you wanna crash, I can take ya back to Spectra’s, or you can hang at my place. Just make sure you sleep somewhere safe. This place can be kinda dangerous if you’re not used to it.”

His eyes immediately widened. “I-I don’t need sleep! I’m not tired. I’m fine. I slept at Spectra’s. I’m totally fine.” He waved a hand dismissively. “So who’s the next ghost that wants to see me?”

She smirked, studying him for his reaction.

“Walker.”

“W-WALKER?!”

She cackled. “Good luck, Danny! You’re gonna need it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D I was originally going to have the ghost rave be an off-screen thing, but my friend was so excited about the idea when I showed her the first Ember chapter, that I realised it was unfair to bring up something so cool and NOT go through with it. I hope you like what I came up with! I knew the ghost equivalent of a rave had to be something a bit weird and supernatural, so I had a lot of fun figuring out just what that was and how it would work. I'm really enjoying writing this series! All your reviews, kudos and suggestions are very motivating.


End file.
